Sign and method for making it



Feb. 28, 1933.- w H SPENCER 1,899,533

SIGN AND METHOD FOR MAKING IT Filed April 29, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l IlNVENTOR mu-W H M Feb. 28, 1933. w. H. SPENCER SIGN AND METHOD FORMAKING 'IT Filed April 29, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2HHHHHH\HHHHHHHHHIHHHHHIHWWHHHW \HIHHHH WWW F atentecl Feb. 28, 1933WILLIAM H. SPENCER, OF NEW YORK,

OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW

SIGN AND METHOD ronivmxnvs IT Application filed April 29,

The present invention relates more especially to ornamental panels,signs and the like constructed on plates of glass or other mate-. rialhaving suitable characteristics for metalplating operations thereon forthe purpose of producing a desired legend or design on a background ofcontrasting character. In a general way, the present inventioncontemplates an improvement upon or a refinement in the method of makingand construction of ornamental panels or signs such. as those shown anddescribed in U. S. Patent N 0. 1,525,107 which was granted in the nameof lVilliam H. Spencer under date of February 3, 1925. Ornamental panelsor signs of this character are usually constructed with luminous andnon-luminous areas so combined and arranged as to outline the desiredlegend or design and at the same time to produce pleasing ornamentaleffects on the observers eye. According to the above-identified Spencerpatent, the metal-plated areas are appliedto roughened areas and whilethis method is effective, the metal-plated surfaces are left in aslightly roughened condition and are not suitable in cases in which itis desired to provide signs with smooth or polished surfaces.

he primary object of my invention is to provide an improved constructionand method of making sign plates in which metal-' plated andnon-metal-plated areas of smooth or polished surfaces are correlated andarranged to produce a desired design or legend. Toward the attainment ofthis object my invention contemplates the formation of roughenedsurfaces or depressions along the borders of certain portionsof thesmooth or polished areas of a base plate and the sub sequent depositionof metal upon the smooth or polished areas as well as upon saidroughened surfaces or in said depressions in such a way as to form aneffective seal along the edges of the metal-plated smooth or polishedareas for excluding moisture and acid fumes.

According to the preferred embodiments of my invention shown on theaccompanying drawings, I employ a sand'blast'for forming roughened areasor depressions along the borders of or around the smooth or polishedsurfaces of a plate glass base which are after- N. Y., ASSIGN'OR TO THEFRINK CORPORATION, YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE 1931. Scrialll'o.533,659. 7

wards to be electroplated. After the sand blasting operation, aconductive layer is ap plied to the smooth or polished surfaces and tothe pitted surfaces of said roughened areas or depressions I Specificfeatures method'are recited in with reference to the preparatory to theimmersion of said plateglass base in an electrolytic bath. ofconstruction and the appended claims accompanying drawplan view of oneembodi- ,ment of my mventi on, parts of the metalplated area beingbroken away around one corner of the sign plate surface of the plate;

to show the polished Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sec tion of theplate glass upon which the present embodiment is oonst Figure 3 is'asection similarto Figure '2 I in which the resist ructed is shown inposition on the glass plate,'p'ortions of the resist being cut awayinpreparation for an application b of the sand blast or etching fluid;

' Figure 4 is a similar section of the same,

after the conclusion Figure 5 is asimilar section of the sameafter theremoval of of the etching process the resist from and the application ofa conductive layer to those portions of the smooth or polished surfacesWhich are to be metal-plated; I

- Figure 6 is a fragmentary section of the completed sign correspondingto the line 6-6, of Figure 1;

-Figure 7 is a plan nal plate constructed in present invention;

view of an elevator sigaccordance W1t-h my Figure 8 is anenlarged'fragmentary plan view of the signal plate shown in Figure '7,portions of the metal layer being removed to show the underlyingsurface;

Figur'e9 isa fragmentary section of the same on theline 9-9 of Figure 8.

According to the vention shown 1n F1 embodiment of my in gures. 1 to 61nclusive,a

signplate fora theatre exit may be con structed as follows.

A glass plate 1 of the desired size and thickness and provided withsmooth or polished as abase. To one surfaces, may be taken face. of thisplate glass base 1, is applied a resist sheet 2 which as shown in Figure3 may have portions thereof cut out as indicated at 3. Said cut-outsserve to expose portions of the smooth or polished surface of the glassplate which in the present instance form the letters in the word Exit.By applying av sand blast to these exposed bands of the original surfaceof the plate glass base, the roughened borders or grooves A are formedtherein as shown best in Figures 1 and 4:. In a similar manner aroughened band or border 7 may be formed along the edges of the baseplate 1 on the rear surface thereof. After completing the sand-blastoperations, the resist layer 2 may be removed from all portions of thesmooth or polished surface which are to be electroplated and the baseplate washed and immersed in a bath of suitable composition for forminga conducting layer 5 on those portions of the plate which are to beelectroplated. The sign plate is now ready to be suspended in anelectroplating bath where it remains until a metallic layer 6 of thedesired thickness is deposited thereon as indicated in Figure 6. Asshown 'in the upper right-hand portion of Figure 1, the front surface ofthe sign plate prior to the electroplating operation, comprises smoothor polished areaslocated within and without the excavated grooves ordepressions 4 in the surface of said sign plate. It will be understood,therefore, that the electroplated layer applied to the sign plate isanchored in the roughened walls of the grooves or depressions 4 andextends around the perimetral edge of the sign plate, said electroplatedarea being further anchored in the roughened areas 7extending around theperimetral edge of the sign plate on the rear surface thereof asindicated in Figure 6. By

means of this construction and according to the present embodiment of myinvention, it will be seen that the electroplated smooth or polishedglass surfaces are anchored along allof its borders in roughenedsurfaces or depressions. Moreover, this device serves to provide aneffective seal which positively excludes moisture and acid fumes fromseeping in under the conducting or electroplated layers and thusproduces a permanent adhesion of said layers to the smooth or polishedsurfaces of the plate glass sign. The electroplated smooth or polishedareas of the sign plate as thus constructed may be polished to anydesired degree without injury to the slgn. 7

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 7, 8and 9, an

elevator sign and signal plate is shown therein, said sign and signalplate being provided with luminous numbers having too small a size to beoutlined by roughened linear bands as in the former embodiment. In asign and signal plate of this nature, the small luminous characters 8may be advantageously placed in the midst of roughened areas ordepressions 9 which may be excavated by sand blast or etching fluid inthe front face of a smooth or polished plate 10 in a manner similar tothat described above. An application of a conducting layer 11 to theunexcavated surfaces of the smooth or polished base plate 10, may besealed to the roughened areas 12 surrounding the luminous numbers andextended around the perimetral edges of the plate to be sealed toroughened areas 13'extending around the perimeter of said base plate onthe rear face thereof. As in the former embodiment, moisture and acidfumes are excluded from access to the smooth or polished surface of thebase plate underlying the applied layers of conductor and metaldepositions and a permanent adhesion of said layers to the smooth orpolished surfaces of the base plate thus established.

It will be understood that the essence of my invention is not limited todifferences in re lief formed in the surface of the base plate nor tothe luminous nature of the implated areas. he same method of permanentlyattaching a metallic layer to a smooth or polished surface bymeans ofanchored portions in roughened areas'or portions bordering on the smoothor polished surfaces, is applicable to base plates of various formsWhether the roughened areas stand out in relief to the smooth orpolished plated areas and irrespective of whether the unplated areas andcharacters are raised or depressed or luminous or non-luminous.

I claim V 1. The method of forming an ornamental sign, which methodconsists in roughening portions of the smooth surface of a perma-' nentplate glass base to outline the characters which are to form the legendin the completed sign, in roughening other portions of the smoothsurface of the glass separated from the first-mentioned roughenedsurfaces by intervening smooth surfaces, in simultaneouslyelectroplating the first-mentioned and second-mentioned roughenedsurfaces together with the intervening smooth surfaces, and finally inpolishing the electroplated intervening smooth surfaces.

2. An ornamental sign comprising a smooth-surfaced non-conducting basemember having portions of the finished surface of said base memberroughened to outline the letters of said sign in respect to a smoothbackground and for outlining the inner and outer borders of said smoothbackground, and an electroplated layer deposited on the smoothbackground and roughened surfaces outlining the inner and outer bordersof said smooth background whereby a hermetic seal is provided around theborders of smooth electroplated background, said electroplatedbackground being polished for producing a characteristically differentappearance in re- Ls'eassa spect to the unplated surface of the basemem- 3. An ornamental panel comprising a plate glass base havingportions of its surface roughened to form the outline of a desiredcharacter, and an integrally formed metallic layer deposited upon thesmooth surface of the plate glass base surrounding said roughenedportions of the surface and having its inner and outer borders anchoredin the roughened portions of the surface and around the edges of theplate glass base respectively.

4. An ornamental panel comprising a permanent plate glass base having acharacter outlined on the exposed polished surface of 7 said plate glassbase by a roughened depression which outlines said character andseparates it from a surrounding area of polished plate glass, a polishedlayer of metal deposited upon said surrounding area of polished plateglass and anchored around its inner edge in said roughened depressionWhich outlines said character, the outer border of said polished layerof metal being anchored along the edge of the plate glass base andforming a background of contrasting tone and texture in an outstandingplane with re- 7 spect to the exposed polished surface of the plateglass letter, the unbroken surface of the a plate glass base covered bysaid layer of metal being adapted to augment the diffused illuminatingeffects upon said character due to light transmitted through the plateglass base.

WILLIAM H. SPENCER.

